Egypt shuts down Muslim Brotherhood newspaper

FILE - In this Monday, July 1, 2013 file photo, an Egyptian protester ransacks the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in the Muqatam district in Cairo. An Egyptian court on Monday, Sept. 23, 2013 ordered the Muslim Brotherhood to be banned and its assets confiscated in a dramatic escalation of a crackdown by the military-backed government against supporters of the ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

CAIRO — Egyptian security forces on Wednesday shuttered the main office of the newspaper of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political party and confiscated equipment, journalists from the Freedom and Justice daily said.

In a statement Wednesday, the journalists appealed to Egypt’s press syndicate to take action against the closure in Cairo’s Manial district, where the office is now sealed.

The closure comes two days after a court ordered the group outlawed and its assets seized. Egypt’s interim government however said Tuesday that it would not ban the group until the ruling is upheld by a higher tribunal.

The shuttering of the newspaper is part of an extensive crackdown on the Brotherhood since Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was ousted on July 3, after millions took to the streets demanding him to step down.